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From: mbw@unix.cis.pitt.edu (Martin B Weiss)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: A New Way to be COCOTted
Message-ID: <13928@accuvax.nwu.edu>
Date: 22 Oct 90 13:03:12 GMT
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In article <13841@accuvax.nwu.edu> 74066.2004@compuserve.com (Larry
Rachman) writes:

>Interesting, though, isn't it? I thought I was safe from COCOTs
>because I never went near the fuzzy things, but it seems that they
>come and get you even in the comfort and privacy of your own home!

One thing that hasn't been addressed by the FCC NPRM and the
legislation that was passed and signed by Bush (something he didn't
veto for a change!) is the collect call issue.  Presumably the choice
of carrier should be made by the person paying for the call (that's
the way economics is supposed to work, anyway).  If someone is calling
you collect from a COCOT or a telephone served by an AOS with whom you
don't care to do business, then how do you get to choose?  You are
essentially stuck with the choice made by the person calling you.  As
a result, you can still be had by an AOS despite your best intentions!


   Martin Weiss
   Telecommunications Program, University of Pittsburgh
   Internet: mbw@lis.pitt.edu OR mbw@unix.cis.pitt.edu
   BITNET: mbw@pittvms


Moderator's Note: A sent-paid call and an incoming collect call are
not quite exact opposites of each other. In sent-paid, you are paying
for the decisions *you* make regarding the routing of the call and its
duration. In collect calls, you have agreed to pay for *the caller's*
decisions. The caller 'decided to' use a COCOT. Of course, we know how
that goes: he probably decided nothing, since most phone users know
nothing about it to start with. He saw a phone and used it. If you
tell him later that his choice of phones caused you to get a higher
than expected phone bill, you embarass a friend.  So I usually say
nothing and go ahead and pay for it. But my trained ear is listening
from the moment I answer the call: Unless I hear 'this is the AT&T
operator with a collect call, etc' I make it quick and offer to call
back to wherever.   PAT]